Jesus Is Lord Worship Center
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THE STORY OF OUR CHURCH

In January 2000 the Holy Spirit spoke to our Founder, directing him to establish and build a new Church. Acting in habitual obedience, he began to fast and pray for an edifying name for the new Church and an appointed time to launch the effort. Nine months later, while lost in Sunday daybreak prayer, the Holy Spirit revealed to him the divinely appointed name of this new Church: JESUS IS LORD WORSHIP CENTER, At that very moment his phone rang. It was his childhood friend, Apostle Rufus Troup of Solid Rock Apostolic Ministry. Apologizing for calling so early, Apostle TROUP reported that the Holy Spirit had kept him up throughout the night and directed him to deliver a message to his lifelong friend. The message was a very simple one, he said, but he was unable to comprehend its meaning. The imparted message was to “start now."

As a result of this. In August 2000 the JESUS IS LORD WORSHIP CENTER was formally incorporated, and on Wednesday, December 3rd, 2000, our first Church service was held with 13 worshipers in attendance. God blessed the new Church to grow very rapidly, with membership numbering over 100 faithful in just the first year. Many miracles occurred within the Church during that inaugural year; God blessed us continually, and his favor was truly upon us. We remain thankful for his unlimited grace to this very day.Following is just a small sample of the major milestones of our beloved JESUS IS LORD WORSHIP CENTER over the years since then:

2001 Our first worship services were held in a small ballroom of the Holiday Inn at Calder Race Track. The Ministry initiated weekly Bible Study and Sunday school in addition to regular Sunday Services. Our first Men's Conference was organized, attracting over 100 men in attendance.

2002 In January the congregation moved to our own site, eight undeveloped, overgrown acres located at 135th Street and NW 17 Avenue containing only a few walls of a long abandoned, uncompleted structure. Our ambitious building project was launched with great enthusiasm even while we happily worshiped, virtually in the open air, oblivious of the elements.

2003 After much congregational labor, sweat, tears, expense and endless prayers, our building project advanced to the point of approximately 70% completion. All required permits were obtained and all inspections approved. Inexplicably, the Holy Spirit again visited our Founding Pastor and in May 2003 directed him to assemble the congregation and inform them that the Church building project was to be abandoned and no further worship services were to be held on that land. Not surprisingly, this revelation resulted in great turmoil and division within the Ministry. Fully 27 leaders deserted the Church and thus we effectively became a homeless congregation. Learning of our plight. Pastors Abraham and Marilyn RIVERA and their loving ‘LA PUERTA' LIFE CENTER congregation invited us to come and share their Church premises as if it were our own. We remain deeply and humbly thankful to our Lord for touching their generous hearts in this marvelous manner. While the grateful guests of this welcoming Hispanic congregation, we embarked on an 80-days' fasting and prayer period to implore the Holy Spirit to reveal the location of our permanent Church home and the time when we would be sojourners no more. For as comfortable and habituated as one can become while in the ‘Wilderness.' Nothing suits a congregation of the faithful more than their own Church home.

2004 Our Founder followed the seemingly vague and confusing dictates of the Holy Spirit. Seeking he knew not precisely what all around these adjacent neighborhoods. One day in early 2004 he was guided to the business offices of the lovely Pastor Carmeola E, ROBINSON of  WORLD DELIVERANCE MINISTRIES, exactly one short block from what was to be our new home. Her voluntary services were to prove invaluable to our acquisition efforts over the months to come. Through the unfathomable grace of God, our Founder was moved to approach the reluctant owners of a building who professed no interest in selling, even raising obstacles to our quest. By the powers of prayer and divinely reinforced perseverance, we took possession of the premises. The closing occurred on April 12, 2004 and wholesale renovations began immediately. So often during the works, when there was no money for supplies or labor, the Lord provided the means and somehow the project surged forward. By October 24, we had completely gutted the structure and rebuilt every facet of it from scratch, to the point that we were able to Hold our first worship service in the midst of the final finishing works. Our dear friends Pastor Frank BAIO and his tireless helpmate Sister Fran BAIO. Were with us for that initial service of consecration.

2005 This was a year of Ministry growth and development. Founding Pastor Verbert C. ANDERSON ordained and licensed a number of fine Pastors, Elders, Deacons, Evangelists and Teachers within the embrace of the Five-Fold Ministry concept. Several congregations sought and obtained the excellent spiritual covering of our Pastor and a number of blessed covenant relationships prospered spiritually. Our first Women of Excellence Conference was held and blessed by the Lord and proved a resounding success. Our children and their chaperons were treated to a series of symphony concerts. Opera performances and stage plays for their cultural growth. Our first Church Picnic was hugely attended and served as an exceptional vehicle for the enhancement of congregational fellowship.

2006 This proved to be a year of severe testing for the congregation. Our Pastor was miraculously healed of an aggressive cancer and a number of our Church leaders experienced unexpected trials and serious challenges to their faith that year. But God brought us through them all.

2007 In this year of rebuilding and transition we held our last Church Anniversary celebration here at the Signature Grand. Attendance was so far beyond expectation that many additional tables had to be hastily marshalled to accommodate the crowd of well-wishers. Our third Men's Conference was successful beyond expectations with so many men from South Florida and beyond accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior. A special 'Spiritual Warfare' event in May was similarly successful. With the intention of establishing a Christian daycare. After-school care and tutoring assistance. A housing ministry. Among other worthy and scarce services. We entered into a lease/purchase for an Annex building immediately behind the Church. $50.000 of the congregation’s funds was spent in completely remodeling the building which eventually became the temporary home of a displaced Haitian congregation, while they in their turn prayed and searched for God’s place and time for their permanent home.


2008 This was our year of ‘New Beginning: characterized by a number of internal changes implemented in response to God's all-knowing call. Our Elders and Leaders began to conduct the praise and worship portion of our services. Our April
'Revival in the Land’ event was hugely attended and spiritually uplifting. A November weekend 'Fasting for My Brother' program under the aegis of our Men’s Ministry proved highly successful. A special ‘Soul Winning One-to-One' evangelism training weekend was hosted. Unfortunately, however, we were unable to fulfill our aspirations for the Church Annex which we were forced by circumstance to give up.

2009 Our reputation as a 'teaching ministry' preparing worthy candidates for spiritual leadership positions in their home Churches, was enhanced through our first Discipleship Program. It attracted and graduated a large number of eager and competent students from our membership and from several related congregations, all of whom worked diligently throughout the several months' long program of studies.

2010 This proved to be our year of living in the 'overflow.' While negotiating the trauma of the global economic downturn with its inevitable effects on our religious institutions, we can only testify through our congregational Praise Report that the Lord God has provided for all our needs "according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus," just as He promised through the words of his greatest apostle in Philippians 4:18. And so shall He continue to do for our faithful congregation, for our children and for our children's children to the end of time. Amen. 


APOSTLE VERBERT C. ANDERSON

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A Look Back of The Past and Moving Forward in the Future